The Best Part of Fights is the
by Zenith of Emotion
Summary: Max and a Flock member get into a fight and she flees when he says something outofline. Desperate to get her back, he flies after her and tries to bring her home. Can he keep her there and tell her how he feels? Please R&R. Enjoy!
1. Hurt

**A/N:** Quick three-part, supposed-to-be-a-oneshot story for a close friend of mine's B-Day... Not telling you the pairing unless you read all the way through to the end. :P

**Disclaimer for THIS STORY (not just this chap):** I do not own Maximum Ride, that belongs to James Patterson. I only own this plot and the few pages of writing I've done. :)

**BTW:** For all y'all out there who might get confused at a couple comments made in this fic - In this story, Angel turned her back on Max and joined up with Jeb and Anne. Later, she came back with Ari to capture the Flock, but in a rage she tried to kill Max. Ari dove in the way and took the blows, dying instead of his elder sister. After he was dead, Angel turned her attention back to Max. When she attacked, Fang got between her and Max; and Max, in a rush, dove in front of Fang and delivered a lethal kick to Angel's jaw, snapping her neck and thus killing the avian-girl.

Please R&R!

Enjoy!

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Max whimpered confusedly as she stumbled through the woods, rubbing her hands at her eyes in an attempt to clear away the tears that were gathering there. God, how she hated fighting with him – but he needed to understand _why_ she couldn't just ignore the Voice and its constant telling of her that she had to save the world. She'd yelled at him during this most recent fight, stating that he couldn't know why she couldn't turn away. She'd said that maybe if _he_ was leader and _he_ had a Voice in his head twenty-four-seven, telling _him_ to save the world he'd see the situation a little differently. His reply, of course, had been that maybe he _should_ be leader and that _Max_ could relay messages from the Voice to him. Max had responded vehemently with what the Voice had said to that. She's said she _had_ to be the one to save the world, and that he wouldn't be able to lead the Flock because he wasn't their Mother.

It had been what he'd said next that had driven Max to flying off on her own, into the woods in the dead of night, with a Storm Watch already active in their area. When she'd landed, she hadn't stopped, crying to herself as she stumbled around in the dark, not caring that the trees were slowly tearing her apart; ripping her skin from her bared arms and legs piece-by-piece.

She didn't know when the clouds had appeared to cover the stars and the moon, blocking her only source of light. She didn't know when it had begun to rain, soaking through her layer of clothes and drenching her to the bone. She didn't know when she'd stopped running and slowed to a walk… and she really didn't care. At the moment she felt… well, nothing. It was numbness. Not the numb caused by a low temperature (although, she _was_ that numb too…), but an emotional and mental numbness. Like everything had stopped. Her mind had gone blank in an attempt to save her from the pain, a defense mechanism of sorts. In an attempt to distract her further, her body was pushing itself to the limit as it moved itself forward, going on until her legs collapsed from exhaustion and she fell down in a heap, falling limply into the grass. It was then that the walls finally broke and a sob tore its way from Max's throat as tears gushed down her cheeks. Desperate, Max rasped the grass and curled up into the fetal position, resting her cheek against the grass as she stared into the darkness, her heart shattered into dozens of pieces; her eyes seeing nothing as they clouded over with tears.

She remained that way until he found her.


	2. Remorse

"Dammit." He swore at himself for the umpteenth time.

Why's he have to go and say that to her? She didn't deserve that – if anyone alive deserved what he'd said, Max definitely wasn't it.

"Dammit all to hell." Growling at himself, he stood and made his way to the door, stopping when he heard one of the youngest speak.

"Where you goin'?" Gazzy cocked his head; much like a goose might, as he stared up at his elder, waiting for a decent explanation of why he was running off.

"To find Max." And with that he flung himself out of their temporary home, flying out into the night, using one of his 'talents' to find their missing leader. It was too dark, and too dangerous for her to be out there all alone, and he wasn't about to let her freeze to death.

Flying as fast as he possibly could, he listened to what the animals below were saying as he flew over the forest, knowing she was down there somewhere. The birds seemed to know exactly what he was looking for, and in a moment a hawk came flying up to him, alerting him to the whereabouts of his missing partner, his would-be mate if he wasn't so stupid.

He honestly hadn't meant to say what he had when she'd yelled at him, but GOD… sometimes she could just make him so… so freaking MAD! She'd yelled at him when all he'd been trying to do was relieve her of her stress. The only reason he'd offered to lead the Flock was so that she wouldn't be the one feeling the pressure all the time – he hated seeing that happen to her. But could she accept his help? _Nooo_… she had to go and tell him how he _couldn't_ be leader because he wasn't the Flock's _mother_. And then he'd blown it… and any chance he'd had of being with Max in the future. He's yelled back… saying she _wasn't_ their mother. That a _real_ mother would have been able to stop Angel from running away and joining up with Jeb and Anne. Their _real_ mother wouldn't have killed her youngest child when in battle with the girl. He'd said they'd actually _love_ their real mother, sneering at her as he'd said it.

Then everything had gone silent, he'd turned around hearing Max's shoulders slump moments later. He'd been able to smell the tears as Max began to cry, and when she ran from the house, a gaping hole was left in his chest where his heart used to be. He'd fallen down onto his knees, running his hands through his roguish hair as he realized what he'd done. And then he'd run to the door, calling her name out into the night air, hoping she'd come back to him. But she hadn't. And so, now, he was out in the middle of a thunderstorm, just on the border of a large hurricane to their east, and he was searching for Max in the dark.

Following the hawk, he sighed, letting his senses stretch out in a desperate search for the Flock's leader, the girl he adored more than anything on the planet. A girl he would've died for in order to save her from the pain of having to kill her youngest child. He would've done anything to try to save her little brother. He'd do anything for her at any time of the day, night, or whenever it was. And he didn't want to lose her.

Finally, when they were flying just above a bowl-shaped field, he felt her presence below him and dived. When he reached her side and began to study her wounds, running his hands along her sides and touching her face gently to check and see if she was awake he nearly died of a heart-attack.

She was soaked, shivering in the rain as she just lay there, blood seeping from the small scratches that covered her entire body. Her clothes had been torn, leaving shreds behind to cover her, albeit not very well. Her hair was mussed and lay about her in a halo of muck, twigs and leaves popping out of it everywhere. And by the feel of her face and breathing, she was asleep… or passed out cold, at least.

Groaning, he lifted the more-than-light girl into his arms and turned around in a full circle to get his bearings, trying to figure out the best way back home, in hopes of avoiding the storm as best as possible.

After a moment, he took off.


	3. Confessions&Love that Inevitably Follow

**A/N:** Alright, since I may not get around to uploading the next SD of SLSF in the next two days ((the mark of the 30-day point)) I'm going to say that I was hoping to post another SD in one of my MR fics... so I have met my goal. -smiles- I finished this at around 5:30 AM on Tuesday, November 20th. I needed to write some fluff so I decided to finish this up. Kinda cheesey and not that great, but it's better than the original version was. -grin- I just had to write something that would mirror my feelings/happiness right now... and this is what I ended up with ((the second half of it is basically what I just wrote)). End sentence is basically based off my feelings towards the Fang to my Max right now... or, in simpler terms for those of you who didn't get it... my feelings for my own "Fang"... the guy that makes me loopy with happiness just by existing. -sighs in giddy happiness- Anyways... I decided this is where it was going to end. I don't really want to make this fic into anything worse than T and I just want to end it with the happy/loving feel... no humour needed. If you're disappointed, that's too bad... and nothing you say to me will be able to bring me down. I'm off a floatin' on Cloud 9... Still, critiques and opinions are welcome and encouraged! -smiles-

Please R&R, but most of all... ENJOY! ((And if you've given up on love, don't... it's out there waiting for you somewhere... and nothing can keep you from it. Not weather, not family ties, not distance, not "fate", nothing... Love is the most important thing in life... never give up on it. -beams happily- It's also great for stress relief and making a person feel great in general...

**EDIT:** Just fixed the last sentence a bit... a few words were MIA...

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Pushing his wings as hard as he could, he made his way through the windy (and wet) sky, flying home as quickly as possible in this weather. While the trip might have normally taken him an hour, he easily made it to the house in less than thirty minutes, rushing in the door and into the living room as quickly as possible, locking all doors behind himself.

Panicking, he lay Max down on the carpet in front of the fireplace, hurrying about to throw some logs on and light up a fire. Once the fire was going he hurried over to a closet and pulled out some blankets, scooting back over to Max to lay one beneath her, settling her sleeping form back down gently.

Quickly, he turned around, searching for something – anything to warm Max up even more. And then he felt the air shift around him and he spun about. Max sat there, staring at him through wide, tearful eyes, the look on her face hurriedly changing from one of sadness to one of anger, and then finally turning into a hardened mask.

"Max" Quietly, he tried approaching the no-doubt peeved girl, speaking as he went, "I'm sorry, Max. I didn't mean to say that to you. I didn't mean it, honest. Please, come here. You're the mother of this Flock. They love you."

Max snarled as he approached her, getting into a crouching position as he came closer, "We need you. I need you… because I love you as much as they do. If not, more." Carefully, he tried to pull Max close, but she shoved him and immediately the shouting began.

"Don't touch me!" Max hissed out the words vehemently, her eyes shining fierily as she glared at him, anger shining through the small portals that seemed to lead to her soul. "Don't you _dare_ think you have even the slightest right to touch me after what you said, you egotistical, hypocritical, sexist bigot. Don't _ever _think you have the right to touch me when you're _that_ much of a bastard.

He sighed in resignation and froze, standing still in the place where he stood. Max was pissed, and no matter how much he wished it wasn't true, he knew she had every right to be. Quietly, he turned to Max, holding out his hands in a motion they both knew was submission – the forfeiting of the fight before it even began, and carefully, he began to speak to the enraged female standing before him, "Max…" Growling inwardly when he saw Max flinch away when he said her name in that tone, he attempted to soften his voice, wash some of the impatience away and let only his love shine through.

"Max," he began again, this time taking another step closer to the still dripping wet female, grabbing onto her wrist when she tried to back away and holding her firmly when she began to struggle, "Max, I know I hurt you. Please! Listen!" When Max refused to stop struggling, he pulled her in closer, wrapping his strong arms around her smaller frame and holding her to his chest, even as her fists beat him with hurtful blows. Blows meant to do just that – hurt him, and in the process free her from his presence.

"Max…" He started, snarling when the assault on his chest continued, "Max!" Still, she did not listen, her fists attempting to free her from the iron prison of his grasp as she half snarled – half choked out cries for him to let her go, "Maximum Ride!"

At the use of her full name, the girl gave up, sagging into him, the tears she thought she'd finished shedding earlier finding their way back to the surface, "Just let me go… please, let me leave." Startled by the girl's words, he tightened his grip upon her and pressed her body to his, bending his head so that his lips touched her hair when he spoke.

"Never."

"Why not?!" Her shriek was shrill and sudden, surprising her captor, but not shocking him into submission.

"Because I love you." He spoke the words fluidly, surprisingly not tripping over any words considering how twisted and swollen his tongue felt at that moment, butterflies dancing in the pit of his stomach, and chills of apprehension running up his spine.

And she froze. The tears, her struggles, her breathing. All of her movement – everything that made her seem animate, seemed to freeze as she attempted to swallow that information.

The room fell silent for what seemed like forever, neither of the couple speaking, both wishing the other would say something first. Fang's heart beat in his chest as he waited for Max to respond – he hadn't meant to say that to her; at least not yet, he hadn't. He had been waiting for her to show some sign of loving him too before telling her his own feelings. Sure, she had kissed him that one time on the beach so many years ago, but it was probably just out of her concern for him – or a phase of liking him that had long ago passed… right? So now he was stuck, waiting in the nearly-black darkness of the living room, the only light being offered to them coming from the flickering flames in the fire place.

After what seemed like forever, Max stirred in his arms slowly and turned her face up to look at Fang, her eyes filled with unshed tears, but with an underlying hope shining through. Seeing the tears, Fang frowned and picked up a hand to try and wipe away Max's tears, only to have his hand swatted aside lightly as she stared at him uncertainly, "Wha… what did you just say?"

Startled, Fang looked down at the girl in his arms, taking in every last detail he could to calculate whether or not she would bolt if he said it again. After making sure she wouldn't run, Fang leaned over and looked Max straight in the eyes before answering, "I said, 'I love you'"

Max stared at Fang blankly for a moment before bursting into tears again, startling the boy holding her into a panic, "Max? Max, sweetie, what is it? Did I upset you because I said I loved you? Are you angry with me? Do you hate me now?"

Laughing through her tears, Max raised her hands, using the heels to wipe away her tears as she tried to explain the situation to Fang, "You idiot. I'm not crying because I'm sad or because I'm angry… and I could never hate you. I'm crying because I'm happy, you great twit… I'm crying because I love you too."

"Really?" Inwardly beaming with happiness, but with concern covering his countenance utterly and completely, Fang hooked a finger under Max's chin and tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes again, "You really love me?"

"Y-yes" Max blinked in shock at the closeness of their faces, but was even more shocked when Fang leaned down slowly, closing the gap between their lips and caught Max's with his own.

Startled for a few moments, Max couldn't do anything but cling to the boy kissing her, kissing back shyly when she finally realised what was happening. The kiss was long and languid, holding all the passion and love in it that had been present for most of the couple's life. Max's eyes fluttered shut slowly as she basked in the warmth that was Fang, fisting her hands in his shirt and dragging him closer.

Grinning into the kiss, Fang deepened it for a moment before backing off and pecking Max lightly on the temple, pulling her back from his body as he realised she was still dripping all over the place.

Confused, Max looked at her clothes and realised she was freezing, a blush dusting her cheeks as she noticed that Fang, too was dripping all over the carpet.

"Here, Max, we need to get you out of those clothes." Concern was apparent in Fang's eyes as he reached over and managed to pry Max's arms out of the crossed position they had been in, a grin coming onto his face when he saw Max blush deeper, "We'll strip you out of these, dry you off, pull the futon out and let you lie in front of the fire. I don't think we have any spare clothes in this room, though, so you'll have to deal with only having blankets, alright?"

Max flushed a deep scarlet at that comment, but nodded, blocking out the feeling of Fang's hands working over her body, peeling off the clothes as she spoke to him, "What about you?"

"Hmm?" Fang looked up from where he had been kneeling on the floor, undoing the belt and ties at Max's waist in order to strip her out of the drenched clothing.

"You're soaked, too. What are we doing about you?" Fang paused for a moment to think, but continued stripping down Max as he answered.

"I'll sleep on the floor beside the futon if you're comfortable with that…" Peeling off the last bit of cloth that covered Max's body, Fang grabbed the pile and placed it in one of the several Wegman's bags they had lying about the house before moving over to the large box they'd shoved over in the corner and pulling out a towel, tossing it to Max before he, too began to strip off the clothes that covered his body.

Max wrapped the towel about her body and began to dry herself off when she looked up to see Fang in the middle of peeling his shirt of, his darkened muscles gleaming richly in the dim lighting, the water dripping down his back in patterns so random they shouldn't be seductive, but still were. For a few minutes Max just stood there and stared at her best friend as he removed his shirt and began to take down his pants. It was only when he snapped out his wings abruptly and she looked up that she realised he was grinning at her over his shoulder.

Blushing furiously, Max turned her back to Fang and continued drying off her body, peeking over her shoulder only when she'd finished in order to make sure Fang wasn't looking at her.

Quietly, Max stepped over to the futon and pulled it out, setting it up and plopping the couple pillows that had been resting on the couch along the top. She then walked over to the closet and pulled out a couple more blankets, moving back to the futon and crawling up covering herself with a blanket over her legs and around her shoulders as she sat there. Once she was situated, she looked over to where Fang had gone to sleep – on the drenched blankets he had placed her on when they first got back. A debate raged in Max's mind for a moment before she sighed and moved closer to the side, patting the futon beside her as she called over to Fang, "Hey you, you won't be able to sleep well down there. Come on up and sleep with me on the futon."

Slowly, Fang turned around to face Max before he pushed himself off the floor and came over, stealing one of the spare blankets Max had brought over and slipping under it before he covered them in yet another. For a couple minutes they just lay in silence, each turning every now and then to become comfortable, both ending up on their left side as they attempted to drift off into sleep.

Just as Max was about to doze off, Fang's arms came around her waist in-between the blankets and she was suddenly pulled back against his body, warmth radiating off it in waves as he pulled her close to him in his sleep, nuzzling gently into her exposed neck as she relaxed into his hold and smiled.

Words had been thrown, feelings had been hurt, but it was all worth it… everything was worth it for this one perfect moment together. And with that thought in her mind, Max slipped off into the first decent night's sleep she'd had since they'd had to fight Angel… and everything was perfect, because with Fang by her side it couldn't not be.

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**A/N:** That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed the end of the fic... I'll try updating SLSF within the next 30 days. -chuckles- Thanks for the support on this story, thank y'all very much for that. Ani, hope you liked the end to this gift of yours... I'm not re-doing it again so... I really hope you do. XD I already have both your gifts this year, so I won't have to try scraping up a story for you last-minute again.

X's and O's,  
Fang

And special love to my "Fang"... you continuously help me get through things and you never complain when I spill my guts... you make me feel so very warm and fuzzy and special. You have no idea how much I care about you. -snuggles close to you- Love you so very much.


End file.
